Intention Is the Secret to R&R and a Balanced Life

Diane Brinson, Pacific Northwest District Administrator, returned to work July 7 after a 14-week Sabbatical.

She shares her reflections on her time off after 20 years of service to the PNWD — and emphasizes the necessity and value of intentional time for sacred “rest and relaxation” (recuperation? recreation? Yes!), as a pastoral message on the front page of the PNWD website.

“There are always forces trying to keep us from relaxing,” she notes. “The key is intentionality.”

Her advice when you are “Overwhelmed with new emails each time you glance at your computer or phone?” is “Change the settings. Retrieve the messages only when you intentionally go get them; don’t have your new mail automatically retrieved. TV chattering away in the background? Turn it off until that show you really, really want to watch is on. I hear people complain of being inundated by Facebook posts. Can’t refrain from constantly checking? Cancel your account. As hard as it is to believe, life still goes on. (Trust me on this.) Be intentional.”

Congregations in the Pacific Northwest District have had the benefit of Diane’s assistance and wise guidance for two decades. This article provides more of the same.